{"id":3078,"date":"2025-06-18T13:37:52","date_gmt":"2025-06-18T13:37:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.peakpoint.pk\/en\/?p=3078"},"modified":"2025-06-18T13:39:56","modified_gmt":"2025-06-18T13:39:56","slug":"mqm-ps-sabheen-ghoury-slams-budget-2025-26-as-anti-people-demands-equity-for-karachi-women-and-it-sector","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.peakpoint.pk\/en\/2025\/06\/18\/mqm-ps-sabheen-ghoury-slams-budget-2025-26-as-anti-people-demands-equity-for-karachi-women-and-it-sector\/","title":{"rendered":"MQM-P\u2019s Sabheen Ghoury Slams Budget 2025\u201326 as Anti-People, Demands Equity for Karachi, Women, and IT Sector"},"content":{"rendered":"

Islamabad (Nadeem Tanoli<\/em>)<\/strong> Muttahida Qaumi Movement\u2013Pakistan (MQM-P) MNA Sabheen Ghoury<\/a> delivered a searing critique of the proposed Budget 2025\u201326 in the National Assembly, calling it more of an IMF blueprint than a people-friendly financial plan. She lamented that the budget offers no meaningful relief to Pakistan\u2019s struggling majority and strongly criticized the government\u2019s neglect of Karachi, women, the IT sector, and national development priorities.\"\"<\/p>\n

Ghoury opened her remarks by pointing out that Pakistan\u2019s 98% population, crushed under inflation, was expecting relief\u2014but instead received \u201ca budget tailored for the IMF.\u201d Addressing climate change as a pressing issue, she questioned why, despite repeated claims and significant allocations over the past decade, the government still lacks a clear and effective environmental response.<\/p>\n

On the information technology front, Ghoury highlighted record-breaking IT exports of $2.4 billion. However, she condemned the government\u2019s abrupt decision to impose taxes on Wi-Fi and broadband services, stating that the sector is still in its infancy. \u201cRather than stabilizing it, we burdened it with taxes,\u201d she said, warning that current tax policies could nullify the progress made by recent IT and e-commerce incentives.<\/p>\n

Criticizing the Public Sector Development Program (PSDP), she pointed out the glaring absence of development projects or schemes targeting women, who make up 51% of the population. \u201cLast year the Prime Minister and Deputy PM committed development funds for women parliamentarians. This year again, not a single rupee has been allocated for women. We deserve the same privileges as our male counterparts,\u201d she said.\"\"<\/p>\n

She also strongly opposed recent pension reforms, questioning the logic behind cutting widow pensions after 10 years. \u201cHow can a woman at 72 or 75 be left without income after her spouse\u2019s death?\u201d she asked, labeling it an inhumane policy that punishes the elderly and vulnerable.<\/p>\n

Speaking on water security and India\u2019s weaponization of water, Ghauri stated that post-Operation Bunyan-ul-Marsoos, water infrastructure projects like dams should have been the top budget priority. \u201cThey were mentioned, but there’s no real commitment in allocations,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Ghoury also raised alarm over the K-IV water project for Karachi, which has been stalled for nearly two decades. \u201cOnly 3.2% of the required Rs. 102 billion has been allocated. At this pace, even ten more years won\u2019t complete it,\u201d she warned.<\/p>\n

Touching on education, she welcomed the launch of 11 Danish schools but questioned why none were allocated for Karachi\u2014home to Asia\u2019s largest slum, Orangi Town. \u201cKarachi seems excluded from every government priority\u2014be it roads, electricity, education, or basic infrastructure,\u201d she asserted.<\/p>\n

She ended her speech with a sharp warning: \u201cYou expect Karachiites to keep paying taxes while you starve the city of basic services? A time will come when their patience will run out.\u201d Ghoury also cautioned against ignoring MQM-P\u2019s legitimate demands, adding, \u201cIf Karachi is made a scapegoat again, the protests will echo across the country.\u201d<\/p>\n

Concluding her remarks with patriotic verses, she reminded the government of the promises made to the nation and urged that justice, equity, and inclusion must shape fiscal policy\u2014before the budget is passed.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Islamabad (Nadeem Tanoli) Muttahida Qaumi Movement\u2013Pakistan (MQM-P) MNA Sabheen Ghoury delivered a searing critique of the proposed Budget 2025\u201326 in the National Assembly, calling it more of an IMF blueprint than a people-friendly financial plan. She lamented that the budget offers no meaningful relief to Pakistan\u2019s struggling majority and strongly criticized the government\u2019s neglect of …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":3084,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[94],"tags":[763,764,533,762,761,524,766,760,765,465],"class_list":["post-3078","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-pakistan","tag-imfbudget","tag-itsectortax","tag-k4project","tag-karachirights","tag-mqmpakistan","tag-pakistaneconomy","tag-pensionreforms","tag-sabheenghoury","tag-womeninparliament","tag-budget2025"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.peakpoint.pk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3078","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.peakpoint.pk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.peakpoint.pk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.peakpoint.pk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.peakpoint.pk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3078"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.peakpoint.pk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3078\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3083,"href":"https:\/\/www.peakpoint.pk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3078\/revisions\/3083"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.peakpoint.pk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3084"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.peakpoint.pk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3078"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.peakpoint.pk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3078"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.peakpoint.pk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3078"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}